MOBILE DEVICE PROJECT: END-OF-YEAR PROCEDURES

Transcription

1 MOBILE DEVICE PROJECT: END-OF-YEAR PROCEDURES COLLECTION AND REFRESH OF DISTRICT- ISSUED TABLETS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND K-8 CENTERS

2 Contents Overview... 2 Overview of Refresh Process Tasks for Different Grade Levels... 2 Tablet Refresh Process... 3 Refresh Process Flowchart... 3 Refresh Process Important Dates... 4 Refresh Process Tasks... 4 Tablet Refresh Process Checklist... 7 Frequently Asked Questions

3 Overview At the end of the school year, all district-issued student tablets and carts distributed to secondary schools and K-8 centers for use in some classes and subject areas (e.g., Algebra, Physical Science, Civics, and World History) should be collected and stored in a secure location for redistribution next school year. During the summer, staff from Information Technology Services (ITS) will visit school sites to refresh the devices, updating the software applications. There are some tasks that schools must complete in preparation for the refresh process. Senior high schools implemented a take-home model while middle schools and K-8 centers implemented an in-school model; therefore, preparations may differ depending the school. This document will provide specific instructions for both models on collecting the student tablets and preparing them for the summer refresh process. Teacher tablets will not be refreshed with the student tablets. Teachers may keep their district-issued tablets during the summer to teach summer school, attend professional development, or plan lessons for the upcoming school year. Overview of Refresh Process Tasks for Different Grade Levels - Task Required - Not Applicable K-8 * M HS Identify a secure location for devices and carts Collect devices and accessories from students Check in the student devices using the ATMS Store the devices and accessories (awaiting refresh) Charge devices prior to ITS team arrival Designate two (2) staff members as points of contact Provide access to devices on the day of the refresh Refresh mobile devices (ITS staff) Store devices (after the refresh) * Refresh process for 7 th grade civics tablets, not applicable to laptops for elementary grades 2

4 Tablet Refresh Process As part of the end-of-year procedures, student tablets, carts, and the accompanying accessories must be collected and prepared for the refresh process. Teacher tablets do not have to be collected, as they will not be included in the refresh process. Teachers may keep their tablets during the summer. Staff from ITS will coordinate the school site visits with the school technicians. There are certain tasks that schools need to complete as part of the end-of-year procedures and to ready the tablets for the refresh. These steps are highlighted in the Refresh Process Flowchart below and will be detailed in the Refresh Process Tasks section included in this document. A Refresh Process Checklist is provided to assist school site administrators in preparing for the site visits. Refresh Process Flowchart Should happen simultaneously. Identify a secure, central location for tablets and carts Collect tablets and accessories from students Check in the tablets using the ATMS Designate two (2) staff members as points of contact Charge tablets prior to ITS team arrival* Store the tablets and accessories awaiting the refresh Provide access to tablets on the day of the refresh Refresh mobile devices** Store tablets after refresh process is completed Not applicable to middle schools & K-8 centers; devices were not checked out to students. Middle schools and K-8 centers skip to Step 4. * ITS will coordinate with school technician to charge the devices prior to school visit. ** ITS TEAM will visit schools to conduct refresh 3

5 Refresh Process Important Dates May 18, 2015* May 26, 2015 Senior high schools may begin to collect tablets from students and store them; K-8 centers and middle schools begin to place carts and tablets in central location ITS team will begin visiting schools to conduct refresh * Note: Tablets should be collected with no disruption to testing that may still be going on. Middle school Civics classes have print textbooks that students may use to review for EOC exams. High schools that are participating in the DDEOC exams may allow students to continue using tablets to review course content and collect them once testing is done. Refresh Process Tasks 1. Identify a secure location for storing the tablets and carts and conducting the refresh 1.1. Location should be central (e.g. library media center, computer lab, etc.) and not individual classrooms Ideally, storage location could serve as the refresh staging area, but if not, then tablets would need to be moved from storage location to refresh staging area Selected location should have electrical outlets to charge the carts and tablets There should be room for ITS refresh team to be able to conduct work Location should be secure with minimal access by staff. 2. Collect the following items from students: tablet (with case); keyboard; USB Dongle; charger; kick stand; hand strap; shoulder strap [Middle schools and K-8 centers may skip to Step #4, since tablets were not distributed and checked out to students; tablets assigned to teacher loaner groups in the Asset Tracking Management System (ATMS) do not appear as checked out to students and therefore do not need to be checked in.] 2.1. Teachers may keep their tablets during the summer. Teacher tablets may be refreshed at the beginning of the school year by wireless updates pushed through the district s network Use collection scenario (assembly, world history classes) that best suits the school s needs When collecting the tablets, ensure that accessories are collected and accounted for Inspect device and accessories for physical damage (e.g., cracked screen, broken kickstand, etc.) As tablets and accessories are being collected, if students report tablets lost/stolen or return them in a damaged/broken condition, update the ATMS to reflect the device status and issue the student a financial obligation for the full replacement value of the item(s). Replacement values can be found in the Mobile Device Agreement located at 4

6 Complete a HEAT ticket for any broken/damaged device so school technician can forward ticket to UDT Device should be set aside and stored awaiting pick-up If student pays for lost or damaged item(s), funds are to be deposited according to procedures outlined in Weekly Briefing # Check-in the tablets using the Asset Tracking Management System (ATMS) [Not applicable to middle schools and K-8 centers.] 3.1. As you collect tablets from students, use the ATMS to check them in and unassign them from the student; a link to the ATMS is provided below: Login information for the ATMS was provided in Weekly Briefing # Instructions for checking in mobile tablets is found in the ATMS User Guide located at (See Image 1) Image 1 4. Store the carts, tablets and accessories in a secure location in preparation for the refresh process 4.1. Prior to visit by the ITS team, tablets must be placed in a location that will accommodate the carts and electrical needs for charging and refreshing tablets (e.g. library media Tablet center, computer lab, etc.) To expedite the refresh process, please store the tablet, dongle, and charger separately from the other accessories, as all three are needed for the software refresh process. (See Image 2) 4.3. When storing the tablets and accessories, ensure that the tablet, dongle and charger are stored neatly and not Charger tangled with other cables; this will facilitate the refresh Image 2 process. (See Image 3) Dongle Image 3 5

7 5. Designate 2 points of contact (include a school administrator) for device refresh during the summer 5.1. Contact is responsible for providing access (during the summer) for the ITS team to the location where tablets are stored Do not list the school technician as one of the contacts Provide the school contacts information (name, title, address, phone number) to Instructional Technology and ITS via the following link: 6. Refresh tablets to update software applications 6.1. Staff from ITS will coordinate school site visit with the school technician for device refresh School contact person(s) needs to be at school during the refresh process. 7. Store tablets after refresh process is completed 7.1. After the refresh process has been completed, school site staff should place the tablets and carts back in the secure location (if different than the refresh staging area) to await distribution the following school year. 6

8 Tablet Refresh Process Checklist The checklist below is provided to assist schools in preparing for the mobile device summer refresh process. TASKS PROCESSES/NOTES 1. Identify a secure location for storing the tablets and carts and conducting the refresh 2. Collect the following items from students: tablet (with case); keyboard; USB Dongle; charger; kick stand; hand strap; shoulder strap [Middle schools and K- 8 centers may skip to Step #4, since tablets were not distributed and checked out to students.] Teachers may keep their devices during the summer. Teacher devices may be refreshed at the beginning of the school year by wireless updates pushed through the district s network. Location should be central (e.g. library media center, computer lab, etc.) and not individual classrooms. Ideally, storage location could serve as the refresh staging area, but if not, then tablets would need to be moved from storage location to refresh staging area. Selected location should have electrical outlets to charge the carts and tablets. There should be room for ITS refresh team to be able to conduct work. Location should be secure with minimal access by staff. Use collection scenario (assembly, world history classes) that best suits the school s needs. When collecting the tablets, ensure that accessories are collected and accounted for. Inspect device and accessories for physical damage (e.g., cracked screen, broken kickstand, etc.). As tablets and accessories are being collected, if students report tablets lost/stolen or return them in a damaged/broken condition, update the ATMS to reflect the device status and issue the student a financial obligation for the full replacement value of the item(s). Replacement values can be found in the Mobile Device Agreement located at o Complete a HEAT ticket for any broken/damaged device so school technician can forward ticket to UDT. o Device should be set aside and stored awaiting pick-up. o If student pays for lost or damaged item(s), funds are to be deposited according to procedures outlined in Weekly Briefing #

9 3. Check-in the tablets using the Asset Tracking Management System (ATMS) This should occur at the time of collection 4. Store the carts, tablets and accessories in a secure, central location in preparation for the refresh process 5. Designate 2 points of contact (include a school administrator) for device refresh during the summer 6. Refresh tablets to update software applications 7. Store tablets after refresh process is completed As you collect tablets from students, use the ATMS to check them in and unassign them from the student; a link to the ATMS is provided below: Login information for the ATMS was provided in Weekly Briefing # Instructions for checking in mobile tablets is found in the ATMS User Guide located at Prior to visit by the ITS team, tablets must be placed in a location that will accommodate the carts and electrical needs for charging and refreshing tablets (e.g. library media center, computer lab, etc.). To expedite the refresh process, please store the tablet, dongle, and charger separately from the other accessories, as all three are needed for the software refresh process. When storing the tablets and accessories, ensure that the tablet, dongle and charger are stored neatly and not tangled with other cables; this will facilitate the refresh process. Contact is responsible for providing access (during the summer) for the ITS team to the location where tablets are stored. Do not list the school technician as one of the contacts. Provide the school contacts information (name, title, address, phone number) to Instructional Technology and ITS via the following link: Staff from ITS will coordinate school site visit with the school technician for device refresh Staff from ITS will coordinate school site visit with the school technician for device refresh. School contact person(s) needs to be at school during the refresh process. After the refresh process has been completed, school site staff should place the tablets and carts back in the secure location (if different from refresh staging area) to await distribution the following school year. 8

10 Frequently Asked Questions Does the district expect all the tablets to be unassigned in the UDT database by the end of the year? It is expected that all student tablets be collected and reflected in ATMS before the end of the year. This includes tablets that were used in Algebra, Physical Science, Civics, and World History. If a student does not return the tablet at the end of the school year, how do we indicate that in the ATMS? Handling lost/stolen tablets at the end of the school year should follow the same procedures as during any part of the year, other than issuing another tablet. You should indicate in the ATMS that the device is lost or stolen and issue a financial obligation to the student. What happens if a student returns a tablet at the end of the school year that had been reported as lost or stolen? Change the status of the device in the ATMS and remove the financial obligation from the student s record. If a tablet is damaged: Do we leave the tablet assigned to the student in the UDT database until the damage is repaired and/or any financial obligation (repair fee) is paid? If so, who will keep the contracts and remove the tablet from the UDT database when the tablet is returned to the school? Teachers will not be here in the summer to mark contracts or un-assign tablets in UDT database when the tablet is returned to the school. Damaged tablet reported at the end of the school year should follow the same procedures as damaged tablets reported during any part of the year, other than issuing another tablet. The device should be unassigned in ATMS, a student obligation issued, and HEAT ticket created. The school administrator(s) should assign someone at the school who can do basic ATMS circulations during the summer. Does the school contact ITS to schedule the tablet refresh? School should not contact ITS. ITS staff will coordinate the site visits and will contact schools to arrange site visits. 9

11 Can middle schools and K-8 centers keep the carts in the classrooms for the refresh? No, tablets need to be placed in a central location in order to facilitate and expedite the refresh process. 10